| Ladies,
do you think smoking is cool? |
| |
An open blue ocean with clear blue sky appears in
the opening shot of the movie you’re watching.
In the middle of the ocean is a small island with
white sandy beaches and luscious green forest. A
luxury boat speeds by and then anchors itself not
far from the shore.
Your favourite actress — clad in a bikini
and with sunglasses perched on her head —
sunbathes on the boat’s deck. She then dives
into the clear blue water and her head emerges,
her facial expression clearly showing her enjoyment.
The camera then zooms back to include the sky, the
boat and the actress in the vast blue ocean. She
then lights up a cigarette of a famous brand and
smokes with sophistication.
Does your favourite actress look cool smoking? Why
do you think the famous cigarette brand wants your
favourite actress to puff its cigarette with style
and elegance? Has it ever crossed your mind that
it may be a desperate attempt to cover the real
problems that cigarettes present?
The truth is: every cigarette contains over 4,000
types of chemicals. Four hundred of these are poisonous,
and about 40 of them can cause cancer. Smoking therefore
puts you at risk of getting lung, throat, mouth,
stomach and cervical cancers. Smoking is also positively
linked to the development of heart disease, high
blood pressure and stroke. Smoking causes chronic
lung diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis,
and smoking has been associated with infertility.
Pregnant women who smoke have a greater risk of
giving birth to premature and low birth weight babies.
They are also more likely to have complications
during their pregnancies, or to suffer a miscarriage.
So think of the real image whenever you come across
a cigarette in a movie. Smoking does not make you
as cool as your favourite actress. If you smoke,
stop now. If you don’t, don’t start.
If you know someone who smokes, help him or her
to quit. Call Quitline at 1800-438 2000. |
